Improvement in straightening iron and steel wire



W. H. PAINE.

STRAIGHTENING IRON AND STEEL WIRE.

No.18Z/168. Patented Sept. 19, 1876-.

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UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. PAINE, OF BROOKLYN, E. D., NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN STRAIGHTENING IRONAND STEEL WIRE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N o. 1 82,468, datedSeptember 19, 1876 application filed September 5, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLIAM H. PAINE, of the city of Brooklyn,yE. D.,county of Kings and State of New York, have invented an improvement inmachineryland in processes for straightening and coating iron and steelwire in continuous lengths of various sizes, and an improved article ofmanufacture produced thereby, which improvement is fully set forth inthe following specification, reference being had to accompanyingdrawings.

Wire isnow straightened in continuous lengths after having beenmanufactured, wound on Winding-block, and thereby given the form ofpermanent curves by means of straightening machines operating onlymechanically, or by force operating only through mechanical devices.This treatment disturbs the original elastic limit of the wire, andimpairs its ultimate strength and its value.

The object'of myinvention is to coat wire in continuous lengths withzinc, lead, tin, copper, or any other metal used to coat the surface ofwire; or with oil, or any similar liquid, and at the same time, and inpart by the means employed in that process, to produce wire which, inaddition to its having a coating, as described, shall be straight, andstill retain its natural'elastic limit unimpaired. The wire to be sotreated may be that which is coiled in rings and takesthe form of spiralcurves when set free; or it may be that which is already made straightby some process or treatment. When coated and treated in the manner nowcustomary,'both of these kinds of Wire result in a finished product,which is coiled and set in the form of spiral curves. But when treatedaccording to my invention the result in both cases is a product havingthe qualities previously ascribed to my invention.

The mechanical part of my invention consists in placingthe guide-rollerand windingdrum so far from the coating-bath that the wire between them,or between the guideroller and winding-drum and some point with in thecoating material, shall become set while still in a straight linebetween them, and in making the winding-drum sufficiently large to drawthe wire from the swift through the acid-bath, the coating-bath, andwindingit' upon the drum without resetting it thereby in spiral curves.

As wire is now coated, even if previously straightened, it becomes againfixed or set in spiral curves after being subjected to the coatingprocess. The same result follows the treatment of wire not previouslystraightened. Consequently, after wire has been coated it is nowsubjected to treatment by straightening-machines operating by forceapplied only through mechanical devices, whereby it"is injured, aspreviously described.

Figure 1 shows my invention in top view,

and Fig. 2 in longitudinal sectional view on line'a; 00.

RR are the usual swifts, upon which the rings of wire to be coated andstraightened are placed; B, the usual acid-bathemployed in the processof coating; P, the coating-bath, placed over the furnace F, providedwith the chimney O, and in which the coating material is located; R Rthe guide-rollers which first receive the "wire W W from the bathin astraight line therefrom, or from a guide, Gr, located Within the body ofcoating material in the bath P 5 R R the winding-drums, upon which thewire is finally wound after it has become cooled and set while ina'straight line.

The guide-rollers are elevated so that the wire may extend from theguide Gr within the bath 1? to the tops of the rollers in a continuousstraight line. The drums R R are placed lower than the guide-rollers,requiring. the wire to be bent over the latter in order to reach and bewound upon the former in the usual manner.

The location of the guide-rollers and drums is variable, according tothe size of the wire, in any given temperature, and must be such thatthe wire will be sufliciently set while held in a straight line not toreceive a new setfrom either of them.

The wire need not pass in a straight line through the coating-bath; andit will effect my object fairly well if it be held in a straight lineonly from the last guide on the pan to the guide-roller; but I obtainthe best results by extending the straight line of the continuous wirefrom a guide located within the coating material, and at about thecenter of the pan to the guide-roller R The wiping mechanism and processto remove thesurplus coating material and give a smooth surface to thewire may be located at .the outlet of the coating-bath. The windingdrumoperates the Wire, and, being resisted by sufficient friction applied inany known manner to the swift R or to the wire, at any point anterior tothe straight line extension thereof, creates sufficient tension toremove any curves or kinks, and to hold the wire straight.

The wire may, however, be supported at points along the straight lineextension, or along its whole length. The operation of straightening bytension may be assisted by employing pins placed either in the coatingmaterial or near the end of the coating-bath toward the winding-drum,between which the wire may be drawn after it is sufficiently heated andsoftened in the bath, so as to be in part straightened thereby. The wirepasses from the 'swifts through the bath B and coating-bath P, beingcarried below the surface of the fluid contentsof each by the guideslocated therein as usual for that purpose; and thereafter to theguide-roller and drum, either through the air of an ordinary orartificiallylowered temperature, or through any liquid cooling medium tohasten the setting of the particles of the wire by simply lowering itstemperature, or, if desired, through any Wiping or drying medium.

The material in the'coating-bath may be molten zinc, lead, tin, copper,or any other metal used to coat the surface of wire,.or oil or anysimilar liquid.

In some instances it is considered desirable to coat only a part of thearticle to be coated,

leaving the rest uncoated, and by the use of of similar means the wholeof the wire may be passed through the coating material, and yet be leftuncoated. This means consists in omitting the treatment given in theacid-bath.

I contemplate the use of my invention under such circumstances, so as tostraighten the wire thereby, although the usual means be employed toprevent the coating material from adhering to the wire in whole or in.part.

The winding-drum I operate in the usual way, (not shown in the drawing,)and at the usual speed.

' For No. 8 wire, and in an average temperature acting upon the straightextension of the wire, I make the drum four and a half feet in diameter,and locate the guide-roller and winding-drum eighty feet from thecoating-bath.

For N o. 14. wire I make the drum two and a half feet in diameter, andthe distance from the coating-bath fifty feet.

' For other sizes of wire I make sizes and distances in proportion.

These distances of the guide-roller and winding-drum from thecoatingbath may be diminished by interposing in any ordinary manner anartificial cooling medium of a temper ature less than the averageatmospheric temperature; and this diminishment may be made in proportionas this cooling medium is lowered in its temperature.

I have represented in the drawing three systems, consisting of a swift,a guide-roller, and a winding-drum, with the intervening acid-bath andcoating-bath, through which latter the three wires upon each system maypass or be passing at one and the same time. These systems may beincreased to the usual extent.

The article produced by these combined processes has the followingqualities: First,-

the wire is provided with a coating, except when the coating is notcaused to adhere, as described; second, the natural limit of elasticityof coated wire is retained unimpaired; third, it is in continuouslengths; and, fourth, it is straight.

In using the term natural limit of elasticity,? I do not refer to anylimit of elasticity existing in the wire at any time previous to thetreatment herein described. In passing through the coating-bath suchprevious limit maybe disturbed. Irefer instead to the resulting limit ofelasticity produced jointly by the heating of the coating-bath and thecooling and setting of the wire while straight. Since I pass the wiresubsequently,

and while too cold to be permanently bent thereby, over theguide-roller, and wind it upon a drum sufficiently large, this naturallimit of elasticity is retained.

When the wire is left uncoated, as above described, the first qualitymentioned is of course wanting, but the other qualities remain.

Each metal or liquid employed in the coating-bath having its owncharacteristic temperature when'in the proper fluid condition to producethe intended effects, the wire in passing through it may be acted uponin a manner also characteristic, resulting in a more or lesscharacteristic limit of elasticity in any given kind of wire. A similarresult may be found in any given kind of wire when it has received theother parts of the treatment described, but has not been passed throughthe acid-bath, and when it is not desired to coat the wire.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of the process of coatingand the process of straightening iron and steel wire in continuouslengths in one continuous process, consisting in passing the wirecontinuously from the swift through the acidbath, thence to and throughthe coating-bath, thence in a straight line to the guide-roller anddrum, these latter being placed so far from the coating-bath that thewire shall be cooled and set before reaching them, and then winding itupon the drum made of such a size, according to the size of the wire,that it shall not be permanently set thereby.

2. The combination of the molten and liquid bath P and the winding-drumR and guide-roller R the two latter being placed so far fromt-he formerthat the wire between them becomes cooled and set while extended in astraight line, the winding-drum R and guideroller B being soproportioned that the wire shall not be reset in spiral curves upon itsbeing Wound or bent thereon.

3. As an improved article of manufacture, straight coated wire incontinuous lengths, with its natural limit of elasticity unimpaired.

4. As an improved article of manufacture, straight wire in continuouslengths, with the limit of elasticity naturally imparted by thecoating-bath unimpaired.

WILLIAM H. PAINE.

Witnesses:

WM. H. BUTTERWORTH, HENRY J. FERGUSON.

